Shakin’ It to the Limit

What extroverted kid wouldn’t want to grab center stage and boogie in front of a crowd to the tune of “Kung Fu Fighting”?

Nick Barr, 9, got his chance at MainPlace/Santa Ana recently.

Nick and other developmentally challenged students of Lord Baden-Powell School in Anaheim were invited to dance at the mall as part of Dance Outreach. The education and performance program was founded in 1983 by Zina Bethune, who, along with other dance teachers of Bethune Theatredanse in Los Angeles, works with more than 1,000 children with disabilities.

“Our organization is not about making professional dancers but about transcending limitations through the art of movement and dance,” Bethune says.

Bethune, who began dancing at 3 but was later told she had curvature of the spine and dysplastic hips, knows the importance of dance in young lives.

Dance Outreach operates out of nine sites in Southern California, including three in Orange County. Bethune hopes to launch the program on a national level.

Besides Nick’s fired-up rendition of “Kung Fu Fighting,” another highlight came when Bethune teamed up with Russell Bartel, 12, to dance to the tune of “Because You Loved Me.”

Information on Dance Outreach: (213) 874-0481.